World Day Against Child Labor 2024

In the name of God

Greetings and blessings

Subject: World Day Against Child Labor

Childhood is a crucial period when the human ‘Programmable Self’ is being shaped, forming the ‘Secondary Personality.’ This process requires precise planning, care, and fundamental education. Children who are exploited and forced into labor, or those who must work to support their families, suffer significant harm due to their early entry into the labor market and countless unfortunate factors associated with this. As a result, they are deprived of the golden opportunities for education and learning skills appropriate for their age, frequently enduring lasting damage to their mental and emotional heath. This includes the impact of social-class differences and the opposition that follows.

This deplorable situation is a disaster for a wealthy country like Iran and shows the extensive plundering of national wealth, to the extent that even children are deprived of their right to benefit from this wealth and their natural rights. The perpetrators do not even allow the essential minimal use for child laborers. This is while according to the constitution, free education for all segments of society, especially children, is guaranteed. However, the required resources are unfortunately being looted by ruthless individuals. And those who protest against such injustice are labeled as saboteurs, terrorists, fighters against God, etc., They are thrown into prisons, and are subjected to the harshest tortures and more.

Even the religious leaders, who have received ‘Khums’ and ‘Zakat’ from people have not fulfilled their religious duties and have misused those funds among themselves. (“Know that, anything you gain, the fifth of it is God’s and the Messenger’s, and the near kinsman’s, and the orphans’, and for the needy, and the traveler, if you believe in God and that We sent down upon Our servant on the day of salvation, the day the two hosts encountered ….- Holy Quran, Surah Anfal, verse 41)

As a result, the helpless society, including child laborers, have not only been deprived of benefiting from their national wealth but also from their rightful share of the religious revenues that have been allocated for their welfare, and this money has been spent on other matters under different pretenses.

In the fight against child labor, not only we denounce any injustice, but we actively engage in the restoration of human rights with all the means at our disposal.

I take this opportunity, to refer to a passage from the ‘Manifesto of Free Iran’, which reminds us of the rights of the nation and underscores the importance of people’s right to benefit from national resources:

Principle-4: Primacy of Human Rights

All decisions and every legislation are to be based on respect for human rights, including:

• Every Iranian is entitled to equal rights regardless of gender, sexual orientation, religion, sect, ethnicity, opinions, and beliefs.
•  All laws are intended to ensure human rights for the whole diversity of Iranian people, including freedom of thought, freedom of expression, freedom to choose religion, freedom of observance, and freedom to hold opinions.
• Every Iranian has one vote and one share of the national income (with a coefficient of variation depending on the individual’s area of residence and the extent of regional deprivation).
• Public insurance is an inalienable right by birth for the diversity of all Iranian people, including health insurance, occupational and disability insurance, education insurance, accident insurance, etc.
• Since the whole diversity of people will be covered by national insurance by birth (whether or not their parents are identifiable), children up to the age of 18 are to be educated for technical, professional, art, sport or other skills and are not allowed to work. Therefore, the issues of child (and adult) labor and begging are unjustifiable and should not exist in society.
• Those who refuse to work under different reasons, such as addiction, and are inclined to be vagrants, are to be taken care of in special camps. As a result, vagrancy will not be a subject anymore and it is necessary to take expert action to address it.

Mohammad Ali Taheri
Founder of Erfan Keyhani Halgheh & Taheri Peace Organization

June 12, 2024
Toronto